The Mouse That Roared (1959) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error The Mouse That Roared ( 1959 ) Approved | An impoverished backward nation declares a war on the United States of America, hoping to lose, but things don't go according to plan. Director: From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC a list of 35 titles created 19 Feb 2011 a list of 36 titles created 07 Jan 2012 a list of 35 titles created 28 Dec 2013 a list of 32 titles created 06 Dec 2014 a list of 33 titles created 08 Feb 2015 Title: The Mouse That Roared (1959) 7/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin.

A tiny country persuades the Americans and Soviets that they're starting a space program, when they really just want some money for new plumbing. Director: Richard Lester A former British colony in dire need of economic aid tries to play the British against the Soviets in an attempt to secure economic aid from either side in return for political loyalty. Directors: Roy Boulting, Jeffrey Dell Stars: Terry-Thomas, Peter Sellers, Luciana Paluzzi A naive aristocrat in search of a career becomes caught up in the struggles between his profit-minded uncle and an aggressive labour union. Director: John Boulting A minister is accidentally appointed to a snobbish parish. Directors: John Boulting, Roy Boulting Stars: Peter Sellers, Cecil Parker, Isabel Jeans Dodger Lane ( Peter Sellers ) has planned the perfect robbery while in prison. He intends to break out of prison, steal a fortune in diamonds, and break back into prison before anyone notices... See full summary » Director: Robert Day A Millionairess and a doctor cannot marry until they meet conditions set-up by their respective parents. Director: Anthony Asquith The crooks in London know how it works. No one carries guns and no one resists the police.

Then a new gang appears that go one better. They dress as police and steal from the crooks. This ... See full summary » Director: Cliff Owen This is the end of a glorious military career: General Leo Fitzjohn retires to his Sussex manor where he will write his memoirs. Unfortunately, his private life is a disaster: a confirmed ... See full summary » Director: John Guillermin A businessman blackmails his attractive young secretary into spending a weekend with him. Though he's a creep throughout, he gradually emerges as a sympathetic character. Director: Alvin Rakoff Angela Barrows, an accomplished business analyst from the US, attempts to contemporize the late MacPherson's tweed manufacture, shaking the very foundation of a men-only company. Director: Charles Crichton Directors: Piers Haggard, Richard Quine, and 1 more credit » Stars: Peter Sellers, Helen Mirren, David Tomlinson Anthony Hope's classic tale gets a decidedly 'un-classic' treatment at the hands of Peter Sellers. Following the story somewhat, friends of the new King Rudolph of Ruritania fear for his ...

See full summary » Director: Richard Quine Edit Storyline The Duchy of Grand Fenwick, the smallest country in the world, is nestled in the French Alps. Being as isolated as it is, its life is a throwback to olden days. It is a happy, peace-loving country. Its economy solely rests on export of its only wine, Pinot Grand Fenwick, to the US. When a California vintner starts producing and selling a knock-off of the Pinot Grand Fenwick at a lower price, the Grand Fenwick economy goes into a crisis situation, the country on the brink of bankruptcy. Three protests to the US go largely unanswered. Grand Fenwick's Prime Minister, Rupert of Mountjoy, believes the solution is to declare war on the US, and promptly lose the war in less than a day with no casualties on either side, after which the US, which it has historically done, will provide vast financial aide to rebuild the country. Grand Fenwick's monarch, the Grand Duchess Gloriana XII, ultimately supports this concept. The plan is to send an official declaration of war to the US, have a small ... Written by Huggo Did You Know?

Trivia Jack Arnold did not ask the studio's permission to make fun of the Columbia logo, convinced they would say no. At the film's opening, "Miss Columbia" discovers a mouse under her skirts and runs off screaming. At the end she returns to her pedestal. Studio executives first heard of the joke when they attended the New York previews, where it got a huge laugh. After that, there was no thought of cutting it, though it is absent from some television prints. See more » Goofs The scene when Tully and his men return to Grand Fenwick was obviously shot in segments and pieced together. In the shots of Count Mountjoy and Bentner, one can clearly see their breath (condensation) as they are speaking, but not in the shots focusing on Tully or the Duchess, indicating that those scenes were shot at a time when the weather was colder. See more » Quotes Mouse That Roared, The (1959) -- (Movie Clip) Opening, Grand Fenwick You will receive an email shortly to confirm your email address.

Mouse That Roared, The (1959) -- (Movie Clip) Opening, Grand Fenwick title details and video sharing options now playing Mouse That Roared, The (1959) -- (Movie Clip) Opening, Grand Fenwick Opening sequence for The Mouse That Roared, 1959, features a gag on the Columbia Pictures open, animated credits, and the narrated introduction of Peter Sellers in three key roles. View the TCMDb entry for The Mouse That Roared (1959) share video Mouse That Roared, The (1959) -- (Movie Clip)... Opening sequence for The Mouse That Roared, 1959, features a... Mouse That Roared, The (1959) -- (Movie... Mouse That Roared, The (1959) -- (Movie Clip) Opening, Grand Fenwick Opening sequence for The Mouse That Roared, 1959, features a gag on the Columbia Pictures open, animated credits, and the narrated introduction of Peter Sellers in three key roles.

> Mouse That Roared, The - (Original Trailer) Mouse That Roared, The - (Original Trailer) Peter Sellers plays three roles in The Mouse That Roared (1959) about a tiny European country that declares war on the U.S.---and wins.> Mouse That Roared, The (1959) -- (Movie Clip)... Peter Sellers (as both "The Grand Duchess" and "Count... Mouse That Roared, The (1959) -- (Movie... Mouse That Roared, The (1959) -- (Movie Clip) Bankruptcy Or Prosperity! Peter Sellers (as both "The Grand Duchess" and "Count Mountjoy) proposes that the Duchy of Fenwick declare war on the United States, seconded by the opposition leader (Leo McKern) in The Mouse That Roared, 1959.> Mouse That Roared, The (1959) -- (Movie Clip)... Kokintz (David Kossoff), who's just finished his prototype... Mouse That Roared, The (1959) -- (Movie...

Mouse That Roared, The (1959) -- (Movie Clip) We've Come To Capture You Kokintz (David Kossoff), whos just finished his prototype Q-bomb, and daughter Helen (Jean Seberg) are waiting on lunch before they join the air raid drill that has emptied New York, when Tully (Peter Sellers) and the invaders from Grand Fenwick happen by, in The Mouse That Roared, 1959. > Mouse That Roared, The (1959) -- (Movie Clip)... The invasion force from Fenwick under the command of Field... Mouse That Roared, The (1959) -- (Movie... Mouse That Roared, The (1959) -- (Movie Clip) Maybe It's A Holiday? The invasion force from Grand Fenwick under the command of Field Marshal Tully (Peter Sellers) is mystified to find New York City abandoned (due to a preposterous Cold War air raid drill) when they arrive to surrender in The Mouse That Roared, 1959.> Mouse That Roared, The (1959) -- (Movie Clip) Do... Dr.

Kokintz (David Kossoff) urges daughter Helen (Jean... Mouse That Roared, The (1959) -- (Movie... Mouse That Roared, The (1959) -- (Movie Clip) Do You Like American Girls? Dr. Kokintz (David Kossoff) urges daughter Helen (Jean Seberg) to persuade Tully (Peter Sellers), their bumbling captor from the Grand Duchy of Fenwick, to let him disarm the titanic Q-Bomb, in The Mouse That Roared, 1959.> Learn and talk about The Mouse That Roared (film), 1950s comedy films, 1959 films, British comedy films, British films Plot[ edit ] The minuscule European duchy of Grand Fenwick is bankrupted when an American company comes up with a cheaper imitation of Fenwick's sole export, its fabled Pinot Grand Fenwick wine. Crafty prime minister Count Mountjoy ( Peter Sellers ) devises a plan: Grand Fenwick will declare war on the United States , then surrender, taking advantage of American largesse toward its defeated enemies to rebuild the defeated nation's economy.

Grand Duchess Gloriana (also Sellers) is hesitant but agrees to the plan. Mild-mannered game warden Tully Bascomb (also Sellers) is charged as Field Marshal to lead the Fenwick troops, aided by Sergeant Will Buckley ( William Hartnell ). The contingent of 20 soldiers in medieval chain mail books passage across the Atlantic on a small merchant ship, arriving in New York Harbor during an air-raid drill that leaves the city deserted and undefended. They chance upon a civil defence truck and are mistaken for invading Martians, prompting an investigation by blustering but ineffectual General Snippet (MacDonald Parke). Puncturing the tyres of the general's jeep with their bows and arrows, the Fenwick troops take him and four NYPD officers hostage. Still looking for a place to surrender, Tully and Will stumble across Dr. Alfred Kokintz (David Kossoff), whose invention of the Q Bomb – capable of destroying an entire continent – has prompted the defense drills. He has built a football-sized prototype of the unstable bomb, which Tully takes possession of. With Kokintz and his attractive daughter Helen (Jean Seberg) as additional hostages, Tully declares victory and returns with them to Grand Fenwick.

The duchess indulges Tully's victory, and the prime minister resigns in disgust at Tully's blunder, leaving him as acting prime minister. When the incident is discovered, the U.S. government is thwarted from retaking the weapon and hostages by force, fearing the dishonor of attacking such a small and defenseless nation. Instead, they send the U.S. Secretary of Defense (Austin Willis) to discuss terms of surrender and get back the bomb. Meanwhile, Grand Fenwick receives competing offers of defensive aid from each of the world's powers, in exchange for the weapon. Tully becomes smitten with Helen, who initially despises him for taking them but falls for his simple charm. Then Snippet and Mountjoy conspire to steal the bomb and return it (and Helen) to America, but Tully gives chase and retrieves it. The Secretary of Defense and Tully agree to terms: the knock-off wine will be taken off the market, Grand Fenwick will receive monetary aid from the US, Helen and her father will remain in Grand Fenwick, and so will the bomb: held by "the little countries of the world" as a weapon of last resort if the superpowers refuse to disarm.

Checking the bomb for damage, Tully, Helen, and Dr. Kokintz find it was "a dud" all along, and leave it in the dungeon, conspiring to keep its impotence secret. However, after they leave, a mouse emerges from it, and it appears to rearm, sitting ready to explode if disturbed. Production[ edit ] Liberties were taken in the film adaptation to display Peter Sellers' versatile comedy talents. The lead character of the book is the Duchess Gloriana XII, an attractive young royal in the manner of the young Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Grace of Monaco . In the film version, however, Peter Sellers plays the role as a parody of an elderly Queen Victoria (who thinks the President of the United States is Calvin Coolidge ), whilst his Mountjoy is a parody of Benjamin Disraeli . The Marseille and New York Harbor sequences were filmed in Southampton ; the presence of the RMS Queen Elizabeth ocean liner there was a lucky coincidence.[ citation needed ] In addition, in the novel, an encounter with the New York Police Department leads to bloodshed that complicates peace negotiations; this does not appear in the film. Additionally, in the film, both Tully and Helen are with Dr.

Kokintz when he discovers the bomb is a dud, and it is Tully who suggests that they keep that fact a secret; in the book Dr. Kokintz discovers the fact alone and apparently keeps it to himself. Title designer Maurice Binder added a mouse in an opening joke with the Columbia Pictures logo.[ citation needed ] One scene has diplomats playing a board game called Diplomacy, although the game more resembles Monopoly rather than the game Diplomacy . Television pilot[ edit ] In 1964, Jack Arnold obtained exclusive television rights for The Mouse That Roared from Leonard Wibberley. [2] He produced and directed [3] a colour television pilot with ABC Television and Screen Gems called The Mouse That Roared, starring Sid Caesar as the Duchess, Mountjoy, and Tully, and co-starring Joyce Jameson , Sigrid Valdis , and Richard Deacon . However, the pilot was not picked up for production. [4] It was filmed by Richard H. Kline . [5] Original courtesy of Wikipedia: — Please support Wikipedia. This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia . A portion of the proceeds from advertising on Digplanet goes to supporting Wikipedia.

We're sorry, but there's no news about "The Mouse That Roared (film)" right now. Limit to books that you can completely read online Include partial books (book previews) Oops, we seem to be having trouble contacting Twitter Support Wikipedia A portion of the proceeds from advertising on Digplanet goes to supporting Wikipedia. Please add your support for Wikipedia! Searchlight Group Digplanet also receives support from Searchlight Group. Visit Searchlight Copyright © 2009-2016 Digparty. All rights reserved. The Mouse That Roared DVD with Peter Sellers, Jean Seberg, William Hartnell (Unrated) +Movie Reviews Michael G. (doctorslime) from SAGINAW, MI Reviewed on 11/15/2010... B & W campy old Movie. It is classic peter sellers, if you don't love peter then this movie may be to campy for you. (Potential Spoilers Alert Do Not Read Further) He plays at least 3 roles in this movie, You ought to count and see how many more he does play, so therefore he is almost always on the screen at all times for this farce.

In which a tiny country which finds its self broke decides to go to war with the USA? Why? Because if they do, they will loose... and if they loose they will get money spent by the victorious soldiers in their country, plus lots of foreign aid from the Stupid USA. Sounds like it might work right? Well they try to invade the USA and something goes wrong.... That is the whole theme and plot of this movie. Enjoy. Orrin C. Judd | Hanover, NH USA | 04/02/2002 (5 out of 5 stars) "Sadly Leonard Wibberley's hilarious satire, The Mouse that Roared seems to be making the slow sad transit from wildly popular bestseller and hit movie in the 50s and 60s to cult classic in the 70s and 80s to largely forgotten in the 90s and 00s.

The book, which was originally serialized in the Saturday Evening Post from December 1954 to January 1955 as The Day New York Was Invaded, is no longer in print--despite the fact that the tattered copy I'm holding is something like the 30th printing. And the film does not seem to have been transferred to DVD, though I did find a copy of the equally funny sequel, The Mouse on the Moon. Our growing amnesia is unfortunate, both because this is just a funny story, and also because current events reveal it to still be timely.The tale concerns the Duchy of Grand Fenwick, a tiny European nation which "lies in a precipitous fold of the northern Alps." It was founded in 1370 by British soldier of fortune Roger Fenwick, under not altogether honorable circumstances. Practically the only thing that is produced there, and the only reason anyone has ever heard of it, is a fine wine called Pinot Grand Fenwick.

Other than this one export, the nation remains happily isolated, a medieval remnant in the modern world, ruled over by Duchess Gloriana XII--"a pretty girl of twenty-two" in the book, a more matronly woman in the film, so that Peter Sellers can play her--and her prime minister, the Count of Mountjoy (also played by Peter Sellers).As the story begins, crisis has descended upon the Grand Duchy in the form of revenue shortfalls. It is determined that the most effective way of raising money is to declare war on the United States, the pretext for which is the introduction of a San Rafael, California winery of a wine called Pinot Grand Enwick, a provocation that can not be allowed to stand. As Gloriana explains the aims of the war : All in all, as I said before, there is no more profitable and sound step for a nation without money or credit to take, than declare war on the United States and suffer a total defeat.It's easy to see why the fortunes of this story changed over the years; written just a few years after the Marshall Plan, it resonated in an America that had won WWII and rebuilt its enemies.

But in the late 60s and early 70s, the Left determined that America was evil and that there was nothing honorable nor humorous about the Cold War, Vietnam, or any of the other seemingly benign extensions of American power. Wibberley's witty insight must have seemed the stuff of delusions or insidious propaganda to folks who had convinced themselves that we were really an imperialist nation. But now that the "blame America first" crowd has been routed, you can read that speech above, or watch the movie, and hear the eerie echoes coming from Afghanistan. What might Mr. Wibberley have made of the absurd notion that at the same we were bombing the Taliban and Al Qaeda we were bombing the rest of the Afghanis with food supplies? And the rest of the war has played out exactly as the Duchess Gloriana would have predicted--the Taliban had no sooner been routed than we started pouring in money and rebuilding that broken nation. You could read through thousands of pages of anti-American screeds by Noam Chomsky, Susan Sontag, Barbara Kingsolver, and their ilk, without increasing your understanding of the world by one iota.

But in that one speech, Leonard Wibberley basically explains the entire 20th (or American) Century.At any rate, Tully Bascombe, chief forest ranger of the Duchy (again played by Sellers in the film), and twenty longbowmen charter a boat and invade Manhattan, intending to surrender as quickly as possible. But by happy coincidence, the whole city is underground for an air raid test, and when first Tully and his chain mail clad "army" are mistaken for aliens and then they capture a scientist, Dr. Kokintz, and his super-lethal quadium (or Q) bomb, Grand Fenwick ends up winning the war. Armed with the Q bomb, Fenwick forms a League of Little Nations and dictates its own peace terms and blackmails the U.S. and Russia into a general nuclear disarmament.Tully, hero of Fenwick's great victory, of course gets the girl--Dr. Kokintz's daughter in the film; the Duchess herself in the novel. This gives Mr.

Wibberley one last opportunity for a very amusing, though thoroughly politically incorrect, observation, as Mountjoy tries to convince the Duchess that she must take a husband : 'I hope,' said Gloriana warily, 'that you are not going to suggest that I marry the American minister because I won't do it. I've been reading about the Americans in a women's magazine and they're all cruel to their wives,' 'Cruel to their wives?' echoed the count. 'Precisely. They treat them as equals. They refuse to make any decisions without consulting them. They load them up with worries they should keep to themselves. And when there isn't enough money, they send them out to work instead of earning more by their own efforts. Some of them even make their wives work so they can go to college. They are not men at all. They are men-women. And their wives are women-men. If I am to marry, I want a husband who will be a man and let me be a woman.

I'll be able to handle him better that way.'Of course, the ultimate truth of this sharp observation lies in the final line, Gloriana's certainty that theoretical "equality" is unnecessary for her to actually control a husband.Both book and movie are a great deal of fun. They are well worth seeking out. That their satire is once again applicable to the events of the day should be reason enough for a revival.GRADE : A" "How did the war go?" "I think we've won." M. Hart | USA | 07/14/2005 (5 out of 5 stars) "In 1959, a hilarious Cold War-inspired film entitled "The Mouse that Roared" was produced about a fictional tiny country named "The Duchy of Grand Fenwick". Grand Fenwick is no ordinary country. First, it's the smallest country in the world (about 15 square miles). Second, it's the only English-speaking country in continental Europe (located in the French Alps).

Third, it's primary source of revenue is its wine; which was quite popular in the United States until a Californian winery started to bottle a cheaper wine with a similar name to the Grand Fenwick wine. Several letters of protest had been sent to the U.S., but no response had ever been received, except from the U.S. Department of Agriculture about growing grapes. To prevent bankruptcy, Prime Minister Count Rupert Mountjoy (Peter Sellers, 1925-1980) makes an unusual suggestion to the Grand Fenwick Parliament: declare war on the United States, then immediately surrender so that the U.S. will provide bountiful amounts of monetary aid. Grand Duchess Gloriana XII (also played by Peter Sellers) doesn't initially like the idea of going to war, but she acquiesces and the Prime Minister Mountjoy calls upon the Grand Fendwick military Field Marshal, Tully Bascombe (again, played by Peter Sellers), to lead Grand Fendwick's 20 (or so) man army (wearing chain mail from the Middle Ages) to invade the U.S. in New York City, where they can surrender to U.S. immigration authorities.

Grand Fendwick's Declaration of War is perceived initially as a prank in the U.S., which is more interested in the development of a new super bomb (dubbed the Q-bomb) by the well-known scientist Professor Alfred Kokintz (David Kossoff, 1919-2005), who is also in New York City. Due to the potential destructiveness of the Q-bomb, New York City is evacuated. So, when the Grand Fenwick army arrives, there is no one around for them to surrender to. Instead, they proceed into the emptied city and are misconstrued by some evacuation officials as being extraterrestrials because of their chain mail. When Tully happens across a newspaper, he realizes that they are not far from where Professor Kokintz is developing the Q-bomb and decides that surrender isn't necessarily the only available option. What follows is a complete shock to the entire world. Even after 46 years, "The Mouse that Roared" is still a hilarious and very entertaining film, and Peter Sellers did a superb job of portraying three very different characters. Overall, I rate "The Mouse that Roared" with 5 out of 5 stars.

Other memorable characters include Professor Kokintz's daughter Helen (Jean Seberg, 1938-1979), General Snippet (MacDonald Parke, 1891-1960), Will Buckley (William Hartnell, 1908-1975, who is better known for being the very first "Doctor Who" on the long-running BBC sci-fi TV series of the same name), Benter (Leo McKern, 1920-2002) and the United States Secretary of Defense (Austin Willis, 1917-2004)." A delightful Cold War satire Michael J. Mazza | Pittsburgh, PA USA | 10/23/2005 (5 out of 5 stars) ""The Mouse That Roared," directed by Jack Arnold, is an entertaining satire about the fictional Duchy of Grand Fenwick, a tiny European monarchy which may remind viewers of such real countries as Liechtenstein or Monaco.

With his country facing bankruptcy, the prime minister of Grand Fenwick announces his clever plan to declare war on the United States of America; his intent is to lose the absurdly uneven contest and reap the benefits of post-war American aid. But things don't go quite as expected. "Mouse" opens with a whimsical animated title sequence that effectively sets the tone for the rest of the picture. This is followed by a funny faux-documentary sequence about the fictional duchy, and then by the actual story. The film is a splendid showcase for the great Peter Sellers, who plays three characters, all citizens of Grand Fenwick: the scheming prime minister, the venerable duchess, and the mild-mannered commander of the duchy's pitiable army. Sellers is absolutely brilliant; he creates three wonderfully distinct characters, and it's especially fun to see the scenes where these characters interact with each other. His performance(s) alone make the film a classic in my reckoning. I found "Mouse" to be an enchanting and enjoyable film, full of absurd images and amusing lines. The marvelous sets, costumes, and props are full of wonderful details that make the film a delight for the eye from start to finish.

And despite its comic tone, the film touches on some very serious issues that remain timely. I think of "Mouse" as a gentler cousin to the classic "Dr. Strangelove," another military satire that stars Peter Sellers in three different roles; together I think the films would make a great double feature." Good typical British comedy Amazon.com: The Mouse That Roared: David Kossoff, Jean Seberg, William Hartnell, Peter Sellers, Jack Arnold, Walter Shenson, Inc.; Open Road Films, Ltd. Highroad Prods.: Movies & TV The Mouse That Roared Unlimited Streaming with Amazon Prime Start your 30-day free trial to stream thousands of movies & TV shows included with Prime. Start your free trial Add to Cart $9.99 Free Shipping for Prime Members | Fast, FREE Shipping with Amazon Prime In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available. Frequently Bought Together Buy the selected items together This item:The Mouse That Roared by David Kossoff DVD $9.99 In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. FREE Shipping on orders over $49. Details Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. FREE Shipping on orders over $49.

Details Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought Page 1 of 1 Start over Page 1 of 1 This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading. Page 1 of 1 Start over Sponsored Products are advertisements for products sold by merchants on Amazon.com. When you click on a Sponsored Product ad, you will be taken to an Amazon detail page where you can learn more about the product and purchase it. To learn more about Amazon Sponsored Products, click here . Ad feedback Special Offers and Product Promotions Your cost could be $0.00 instead of $9.99! Get a $50 Amazon.com Gift Card instantly upon approval for the Amazon Rewards Visa Card Apply now Editorial Reviews In this outlandish, sidesplitting tale of the fortunes of the Duchy of Grand Fenwick, a mythical land on the verge of bankruptcy because its one export, a fine wine, has been undercut by a US company. Grand Fenwick's prime minister (Peter Sellers) and female monarch (Sellers again) cook up a schemeto solve the problem: they will declare war on the States.

Special Features Format: Multiple Formats, Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen Language: English (Dolby Digital 1.0) Subtitles: English, French Subtitles for the Hearing Impaired: English Region: Region 1 encoding (US and Canada only) PLEASE NOTE: Some Region 1 DVDs may contain Regional Coding Enhancement (RCE). Some, but not all, of our international customers have had problems playing these enhanced discs on what are called "region-free" DVD players. For more information on RCE, click . Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment DVD Release Date: July 8, 2003 Run Time: 83 minutes Page 1 of 1 Start over Sponsored Products are advertisements for products sold by merchants on Amazon.com. When you click on a Sponsored Product ad, you will be taken to an Amazon detail page where you can learn more about the product and purchase it. To learn more about Amazon Sponsored Products, click here . By M.

Hart on July 14, 2005 Format: DVD In 1959, a hilarious Cold War-inspired film entitled "The Mouse that Roared" was produced about a fictional tiny country named "The Duchy of Grand Fenwick". Grand Fenwick is no ordinary country. First, it's the smallest country in the world (about 15 square miles). Second, it's the only English-speaking country in continental Europe (located in the French Alps). Third, it's primary source of revenue is its wine; which was quite popular in the United States until a Californian winery started to bottle a cheaper wine with a similar name to the Grand Fenwick wine. Several letters of protest had been sent to the U.S., but no response had ever been received, except from the U.S. Department of Agriculture about growing grapes. To prevent bankruptcy, Prime Minister Count Rupert Mountjoy (Peter Sellers, 1925-1980) makes an unusual suggestion to the Grand Fenwick Parliament: declare war on the United States, then immediately surrender so that the U.S. will provide bountiful amounts of monetary aid.

Grand Duchess Gloriana XII (also played by Peter Sellers) doesn't initially like the idea of going to war, but she acquiesces and the Prime Minister Mountjoy calls upon the Grand Fendwick military Field Marshal, Tully Bascombe (again, played by Peter Sellers), to lead Grand Fendwick's 20 (or so) man army (wearing chain mail from the Middle Ages) to invade the U.S. in New York City, where they can surrender to U.S. immigration authorities. Grand Fendwick's Declaration of War is perceived initially as a prank in the U.S., which is more interested in the development of a new super bomb (dubbed the Q-bomb) by the well-known scientist Professor Alfred Kokintz (David Kossoff, 1919-2005), who is also in New York City. Due to the potential destructiveness of the Q-bomb, New York City is evacuated. So, when the Grand Fenwick army arrives, there is no one around for them to surrender to. Instead, they proceed into the emptied city and are misconstrued by some evacuation officials as being extraterrestrials because of their chain mail.

When Tully happens across a newspaper, he realizes that they are not far from where Professor Kokintz is developing the Q-bomb and decides that surrender isn't necessarily the only available option. What follows is a complete shock to the entire world. Even after 46 years, "The Mouse that Roared" is still a hilarious and very entertaining film, and Peter Sellers did a superb job of portraying three very different characters. Overall, I rate "The Mouse that Roared" with 5 out of 5 stars. Other memorable characters include Professor Kokintz's daughter Helen (Jean Seberg, 1938-1979), General Snippet (MacDonald Parke, 1891-1960), Will Buckley (William Hartnell, 1908-1975, who is better known for being the very first "Doctor Who" on the long-running BBC sci-fi TV series of the same name), Benter (Leo McKern, 1920-2002) and the United States Secretary of Defense (Austin Willis, 1917-2004). By Michael J.

Mazza HALL OF FAME on October 23, 2005 Format: DVD "The Mouse That Roared," directed by Jack Arnold, is an entertaining satire about the fictional Duchy of Grand Fenwick, a tiny European monarchy which may remind viewers of such real countries as Liechtenstein or Monaco. With his country facing bankruptcy, the prime minister of Grand Fenwick announces his clever plan to declare war on the United States of America; his intent is to lose the absurdly uneven contest and reap the benefits of post-war American aid. But things don't go quite as expected. "Mouse" opens with a whimsical animated title sequence that effectively sets the tone for the rest of the picture. This is followed by a funny faux-documentary sequence about the fictional duchy, and then by the actual story. The film is a splendid showcase for the great Peter Sellers, who plays three characters, all citizens of Grand Fenwick: the scheming prime minister, the venerable duchess, and the mild-mannered commander of the duchy's pitiable army. Sellers is absolutely brilliant; he creates three wonderfully distinct characters, and it's especially fun to see the scenes where these characters interact with each other.

His performance(s) alone make the film a classic in my reckoning. I found "Mouse" to be an enchanting and enjoyable film, full of absurd images and amusing lines. The marvelous sets, costumes, and props are full of wonderful details that make the film a delight for the eye from start to finish. And despite its comic tone, the film touches on some very serious issues that remain timely. I think of "Mouse" as a gentler cousin to the classic "Dr. Strangelove," another military satire that stars Peter Sellers in three different roles; together I think the films would make a great double feature. By Orrin C. Judd VINE VOICE on April 1, 2002 Format: VHS Tape Sadly Leonard Wibberley's hilarious satire, The Mouse that Roared seems to be making the slow sad transit from wildly popular bestseller and hit movie in the 50s and 60s to cult classic in the 70s and 80s to largely forgotten in the 90s and 00s.

The book, which was originally serialized in the Saturday Evening Post from December 1954 to January 1955 as The Day New York Was Invaded, is no longer in print--despite the fact that the tattered copy I'm holding is something like the 30th printing. And the film does not seem to have been transferred to DVD, though I did find a copy of the equally funny sequel, The Mouse on the Moon. Our growing amnesia is unfortunate, both because this is just a funny story, and also because current events reveal it to still be timely. The tale concerns the Duchy of Grand Fenwick, a tiny European nation which "lies in a precipitous fold of the northern Alps." It was founded in 1370 by British soldier of fortune Roger Fenwick, under not altogether honorable circumstances. Practically the only thing that is produced there, and the only reason anyone has ever heard of it, is a fine wine called Pinot Grand Fenwick.

Other than this one export, the nation remains happily isolated, a medieval remnant in the modern world, ruled over by Duchess Gloriana XII--"a pretty girl of twenty-two" in the book, a more matronly woman in the film, so that Peter Sellers can play her--and her prime minister, the Count of Mountjoy (also played by Peter Sellers). As the story begins, crisis has descended upon the Grand Duchy in the form of revenue shortfalls. It is determined that the most effective way of raising money is to declare war on the United States, the pretext for which is the introduction of a San Rafael, California winery of a wine called Pinot Grand Enwick, a provocation that can not be allowed to stand. As Gloriana explains the aims of the war : All in all, as I said before, there is no more profitable and sound step for a nation without money or credit to take, than declare war on the United States and suffer a total defeat. It's easy to see why the fortunes of this story changed over the years; written just a few years after the Marshall Plan, it resonated in an America that had won WWII and rebuilt its enemies.

But in the late 60s and early 70s, the Left determined that America was evil and that there was nothing honorable nor humorous about the Cold War, Vietnam, or any of the other seemingly benign extensions of American power. Wibberley's witty insight must have seemed the stuff of delusions or insidious propaganda to folks who had convinced themselves that we were really an imperialist nation. But now that the "blame America first" crowd has been routed, you can read that speech above, or watch the movie, and hear the eerie echoes coming from Afghanistan. What might Mr. Wibberley have made of the absurd notion that at the same we were bombing the Taliban and Al Qaeda we were bombing the rest of the Afghanis with food supplies? And the rest of the war has played out exactly as the Duchess Gloriana would have predicted--the Taliban had no sooner been routed than we started pouring in money and rebuilding that broken nation. You could read through thousands of pages of anti-American screeds by Noam Chomsky, Susan Sontag, Barbara Kingsolver, and their ilk, without increasing your understanding of the world by one iota.

But in that one speech, Leonard Wibberley basically explains the entire 20th (or American) Century. At any rate, Tully Bascombe, chief forest ranger of the Duchy (again played by Sellers in the film), and twenty longbowmen charter a boat and invade Manhattan, intending to surrender as quickly as possible. But by happy coincidence, the whole city is underground for an air raid test, and when first Tully and his chain mail clad "army" are mistaken for aliens and then they capture a scientist, Dr. Kokintz, and his super-lethal quadium (or Q) bomb, Grand Fenwick ends up winning the war. Armed with the Q bomb, Fenwick forms a League of Little Nations and dictates its own peace terms and blackmails the U.S. and Russia into a general nuclear disarmament. Tully, hero of Fenwick's great victory, of course gets the girl--Dr. Kokintz's daughter in the film; the Duchess herself in the novel. This gives Mr.

Wibberley one last opportunity for a very amusing, though thoroughly politically incorrect, observation, as Mountjoy tries to convince the Duchess that she must take a husband : 'I hope,' said Gloriana warily, 'that you are not going to suggest that I marry the American minister because I won't do it. I've been reading about the Americans in a women's magazine and they're all cruel to their wives,' 'Cruel to their wives?' echoed the count. 'Precisely. They treat them as equals. They refuse to make any decisions without consulting them. They load them up with worries they should keep to themselves. And when there isn't enough money, they send them out to work instead of earning more by their own efforts. Some of them even make their wives work so they can go to college. They are not men at all. They are men-women. And their wives are women-men. If I am to marry, I want a husband who will be a man and let me be a woman.

I'll be able to handle him better that way.' Of course, the ultimate truth of this sharp observation lies in the final line, Gloriana's certainty that theoretical "equality" is unnecessary for her to actually control a husband. Both book and movie are a great deal of fun. They are well worth seeking out. That their satire is once again applicable to the events of the day should be reason enough for a revival. GRADE : A Grand Fenwick, Afghanistan and Iraq | Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective Current Events in Historical Perspective Printer Friendly Version by Andrew M. Schocket on Jan 23, 2003 The administration has made a big deal of pointing out that President Bush reads thick presidential biographies for policy guidance. But, having led a coalition to defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan and now aiming at Iraq, the president might learn what to do with those countries by taking a break from big books and watching a funny movie. Not any funny movie, but “The Mouse That Roared.” That 1959 comedy was based on the premise that by the late 1950s both sides in World War II in Europe were better off because of the war’s outcome. That’s what Bush should seek now.

The best American policy for Afghanistan, and one that might make an attack on Iraq more successful, would be one in which Afghans clearly benefit from American intervention, just as the United States has. In “The Mouse That Roared,” the Duchy of Grand Fenwick, a tiny fictional country, decides that the best way for it to revive its flailing economy is to go to war against the United States. Grand Fenwick’s prime minister convinces the ruling duchess (both parts played by Peter Sellers) that when the duchy loses, it will be eligible for significant American aid. Afghanistan resembles the Duchy of Fenwick. Although the United States attacked Afghanistan — in “Mouse,” the grand duchy picks the fight — Afghanistan’s war with the United States had nothing to do with a conflict between its people and Americans. Like the Duchy of Grand Fenwick, Afghanistan is a poor country. Like the Fenwickians, Afghans might well have expected to receive American aid as a result of war. “The Mouse That Roared” parodies the wisest foreign policy the United States has ever adopted: the Marshall Plan.

From 1948 to 1951, the United States spent $13 billion to help rebuild the economies of Europe that had been devastated by World War II. On the battlefield, the United States and its European allies defeated Germany and Italy, but the Marshall Plan helped not only allies but also former enemies to become more productive and provide their residents a higher standard of living than before the war. Moreover, Western Europe remained safe from Soviet domination and was America’s best trading partner for half a century because of the Marshall Plan. But the United States has done nothing similar to rebuild Afghanistan. Despite promises of significant aid, American help has consisted of token security measures and President Bush’s feeble call for American children to donate their nickels and dimes to an Afghan children’s fund. Rather than constructing roads, schools, hospitals and factories that would make Afghanistan better for its people and friendlier to the United States, Bush’s Afghanistan policy has involved little more than hunts for terrorists. And those missions have hurt more than helped, causing casualties and destruction without hurting their intended targets. The price of rebuilding Afghanistan — perhaps $2 billion ? may sound big, but it’s less than the cost of a half dozen fighter planes.

Not only would those funds improve Afghans’ lives and make the Afghans more disposed to see the United States as an ally, but they would save countless American lives and dollars, should the United States invade Iraq. What have Afghanistan and Peter Sellers to do with Iraq? Iraq is not poor. And while Peter Sellers in drag is a preposterous national leader, Saddam Hussein is a seriously murderous one. Nevertheless, Afghanistan and “The Mouse That Roared” are relevant to a war on Iraq because, no doubt, the people of Iraq are watching Afghanistan closely. They want to know what to expect should the United States attack them. Their behavior — and America’s success — in a war and its aftermath will be strongly influenced by what Iraqis think they might gain or lose in an American occupation. Iraqi soldiers and civilians will be less likely to resist American troops and more likely to welcome them if Iraqis perceive that the United States will grant aid to rebuild their nation once Saddam Hussein is ousted. Even today, because of the Marshall Plan, Germans and Italians can look back at World War II and reasonably conclude that by losing they actually won. Their nations have been our allies ever since.

A war in which America’s opponent wins by losing and then becomes an ally: that’s what the United States should offer to the Iraqi people. But that’s not what the Bush Administration has provided to Afghans. And unless it does so soon, Iraqis might decide that resistance is a better option than surrender. That would be disastrous for everybody. “The Mouse That Roared” ends with the Duchy of Fenwick possessing the “Q-bomb,” the world’s most powerful weapon, and demanding far more than just aid. Sounds like North Korea, doesn’t it? Another reason to see the movie, Mr. President. Andrew M. Schocket is author of “Founding Corporate Power in Early National Philadelphia” and director of American Culture Studies at Bowling Green State University. The State of Iraq - Reason.com Reason.com PRINT In the 1959 film The Mouse That Roared, an imaginary European nation called the Duchy of Grand Fenwick declares war on the U.S. "There isn't a more profitable undertaking for any country than to declare war on the United States and to be defeated," explains the nation's military leader. RELATED ARTICLES So it goes.

The staunchly rational New York Times right-of-center columnist David Brooks asked readers this week how the nation-building reconstruction project in Iraq is working out. Remarkably well, you'll be pleased to learn. Economically, Iraq is the 12th-fastest-growing economy in the world; oil production is back; living standards are improving; about 20 million Iraqis have cell phones. When it comes to political freedom, Iraq ranks fourth in the Middle East—which, let's be honest, is like finishing fourth in the weak NFC West. Though no one likes to play the part of the Ugly American, isn't there a more pertinent question we should be asking ourselves? Like, "What's in it for us?" President Barack Obama claims that the end of the combat mission is no time for victory laps. But the president, who once accused the Bush administration of intentionally sending soldiers to die in Iraq to create a political distraction, now asserts that "America is more secure." Are we? It is far-fetched to believe that 50,000 U.S. troops remaining in Iraq in a "training and backup role" will be withdrawn by the end of 2011 as scheduled.

Recently, coordinated bombings in 13 cities across Iraq killed more than 70 people and wounded hundreds of others. If the violence continues to escalate, are these 50,000 American troops going to take a "backup role" in Iraq's ethnic and religious wars? Doubtful. And less secure. Our long-term presence in Iraq, in fact, is likely to impede any ability to react militarily to genuine threats. Americans don't have the appetite for it. So if the Islamic radical leadership of Iran—which many experts believe filled the vacuum left by the toppling of Saddam Hussein—is, as many believe, an imminent nuclear threat, we are powerless to stop it. And if every military action in defense of U.S. interests now comes with an obligatory 10-, 20- or 40-year Marshall Plan, you've made it even more politically unpalatable. There are other questions that make the claim "we're more secure" highly suspect. If we do leave, where is the evidence that Iraq (or Afghanistan, for that matter) will blossom into a secular democracy and an ally in the war against Islamic radicalism?

Doubtlessly, it is Islamophobic to bring this up, but Americans are dying not only in the war on terror but also to codify Shariah. Brooks claims that in Iraq, "the role of women remains surprisingly circumscribed." Surprisingly? Actually, that's just a polite way of saying—and I quote directly from the Iraqi Constitution—"Islam is the official religion of the State and it is a fundamental source of legislation." That's one reason many of us regret our support of the Iraq war. Though I am not reflexively isolationist, I am reflexively suspicious of social engineering. And nation building is social engineering on the grandest of scales. Decent people, no doubt, are pleased to hear that the Iraqi people are doing well. If war makes us more secure, why only Iraq and not Yemen? Or Iran? Or Cuba? Doesn't everyone deserve to live in freedom? Do not all people deserve to own cell phones and have a decent garbage disposal system? Or do we reserve those perks for those who pretend to have WMD? The question isn't whether nation building can work. It probably can. The question is whether it was worth it.

David Harsanyi is a columnist at The Denver Post and the author of Nanny State. Visit his website at . COPYRIGHT 2010 THE DENVER POST DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM

Question: Which 1959 film comedy featured a European country called the Duchy of Grand Fenwick?
Answer: The Mouse That Roared